Free the prisoners of Europe’s last dictator

Share via

Exactly two years ago, I joined tens of thousands of my fellow Belarussians in
Minsk to demand respect for our rights and, most importantly, our right to
choose our own government. That day I had stood as a candidate in a
presidential “election” against Alexander Lukashenko, widely known as
Europe’s last dictator.

Faced with the same kind of popular, non-violent movement that has felled so
many despots this century, the regime’s response was swift. In a scene that
belongs to Europe’s past, police moved in and attacked peaceful protesters.
I was severely beaten and hundreds were arrested, including my wife